Filtering by Tag: Peppers

I know I know...."Eric where have you been?!" I am sorry, my blogging absence has been inexcusable! But, there has been a lot of new, life milestones happening lately...like...ohh....you know...BUYING A HOUSE!! Holy cow, talk about stressful! Not only was it the normal stress' of buying a house, but being a commissioned salesman takes it to a whole new level when they only accept 28.5% of your annual salary. But, it's in the rear view mirror now, we are moved in, and now just trying to make it feel like home.

Stuffed Peppers has been a staple in my family for years, my mom makes them all the time. Quite honestly I was never a big fan of stuffed peppers, not because they weren't good...I just didn't have a taste for them. So it kind of surprised me when they sounded really really good to me the other day. This is a fantastic summer recipe, because bell peppers are awesome this time of year and it's just a dish that is easy, doesn't cost a lot, and is a dish that can be enjoyed with family and friends out on the patio. I also feel this recipe would be fantastic on the grill....over indirect heat (I'll try this whenever I get a grill). Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

1 cupuncooked long grain brown rice

2 cups water

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoonolive oil

2 cupsmarinara sauce

1 cupbeef broth

1 tablespoonbalsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspooncrushed red pepper flakes

1 poundlean ground beef

1/4 poundhot Italian pork sausage, casing removed

1 (10 oz) candiced tomatoes

1/4 cupfresh Italian parsley, chopped

4 clovesgarlic, minced

2 teaspoonssalt

1 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper

1 pinchground cayenne pepper

4large red bell peppers, tops removed and seeded

1 cupfinely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 Cupmozzarella, shredded

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bring rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the cooked rice aside.

Cook onion and olive oil over medium heat until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Transfer half of cooked onion to a large bowl and set aside.

Well it's that time of year again, week 16 of the National Football League has come and gone, now we are down to two more weeks of regular season grid-iron action before playoffs start. Then also right around the corner is the NCAA Football bowl games. All of this sports action is going to start cuing the tailgating traditions and Superbowl parties.

Instead of sticking with the traditional beef burgers (there is nothing wrong with that of course), I wanted to go outside the box a little bit. I decided to go with a Mozzarella-stuffed sausage burger topped with balsamic vinegar peppers, marinara, and ricotta. This outta certainly spice things up a bit! So fire up the grill (or skillet) and give these burgers a try. They will certainly be a hit!

Remove Italian sausage from the refrigerator. Divide into 4 equal portion, then using a burger stuffer stuff with mozzarella (about 1/4 cup each). Alternately you can form patties, making a well in the center, fill with cheese, then top with more sausage. Set aside on a large plate.

Seed bell peppers and then julienne. Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add sliced peppers and cook until lightly browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Heat grill or skillet over medium-high heat and cook sausage burgers until well charred on first side, 5-8 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until cooked through and cheese on the interior is melted, another 5-7 minutes. Transfer to large plate.

Toast rolls until crusty. Remove from grill. Place sausage burgers on bottom buns. Slather with ricotta, top with red sauce, and peppers, close burgers, and serve immediately.